The Devil Inside
by TheWanderingStar
Summary: AU past Season 4: The Doctor and Rose continue to travel together, picking up where they left off. But when they come face to face with the Devil will they be able to deal with their fears...and more importantly, the truth? (Future M rating)


Rose stepped into the Console Room, letting the familiar glow of green and gold wash over her. It had been so long since she had had this feeling. It was pure content. Her breathing felt in time with the rotor in its glass case, in and out, up and down. Her heart seemed to thrum in time to the gentle hum of the engine beneath the grating. Her body, even though it had been away for so long, seemed part of the ship once again.

"Miss her?" The Doctor's words tickled her neck as he stood directly behind her, voice just ghosting the delicate skin. She suppressed a shiver.

"Yeah." She turned around, coming face to face with his beautifully wide eyes. They had a center like molten chocolate, and she swore if she looked closely she could see tiny particles of gold. His grin was infectious and she could hardly tear her gaze away from it. The pure unadulterated joy with which he stared back at her almost melted her heart. It was beyond her wildest dreams to be back in that magnificent ship, gazing at this face. The years spent in Pete's world almost seemed like a distant dream in that moment. But it was harder to forget at night when she feared she would wake up and _this_ world would be the dream. Like an oasis in the Sahara it would disappear, she'd be left struggling to breathe, to swallow even…She'd be struggling with her will to stay alive. But it was here, he was real. Life was good again.

Almost out of habit she folded herself into his arms, pressing her face into the lapel of his jacket. They couldn't get enough of this these days, touching each other to be sure that the other was not an illusion, not an another mirage in the desert.

"First trip, Miss Tyler…where do you want to go?" He murmured into her hair and she felt the familiar rush of adrenaline. But she didn't want an adventure, not just yet.

"Somewhere nice…somewhere…_quiet_." A muffled laugh came from above her.

"Rose and _quiet_ are not two words that go together." She drew back to gaze at his face, wondering how she could ever have forgotten what the stubble looked like on his cheeks, or how those few stray strands of hair could escape it's gelled hold to dangle in front of his eyes.

"I know…I just want to go somewhere and just…be with you. Just us two, you know? Shiver and shake." And all at once he understood. His smile softened and he nodded.

"Your wish is my command." He teased gently before reaching a hand out to press that very tempting looking button on the console.

* * *

The door closed with the familiar creak behind her as she stepped out into the new world. It was…breathtaking.

They seemed to be in a forest somewhere, but the barks of the trees were not dull and brown, but a deep rich mahogany. The branches reached high towards the sun, the leaves the deepest of emeralds.

"Looks like we're not in Kansas now, Rose." The Doctor stepped out behind her with a broad grin, almost bouncing like a rubber ball. She laughed, breathing in the sweet smell of the grass. Not quite apple scented but close enough.

"So…where are we?" The Doctor's metaphorical tail fanned at the question, eager to slip back into this old routine.

"Well, funnily enough, this is the Planet With No Name." He smirked. Rose furrowed her brow, watching him stride ahead into the forest. She followed, hopping and skipping along.

"Hang on, how can a place have no name?"

"You asked for somewhere quiet! No one but the natives will ever touch the surface of this planet. The most unnoticed planet in the Universe where they've been allowed to thrive on their own for eons. Now we can discover it all together, eh?" She rolled her eyes at him, not willing to show the deep blush gracing her face.

* * *

They walked for a while, night beginning to fall and a chill settling in the air. Rose was lagging behind a little now, the Doctor's voice fading into the background. Then all at once she stopped in her tracks, willing for the Doctor to be silent for a moment. What was that noise? Like a murmur or a whisper, somewhere in the leaves. Distantly she could hear the Doctor calling her, urging her onwards, but she could hear it. That voice, she knew it-

"Rose." The voice whispered in her ear, and her spine tingled like icy cold fingers were sliding down her back. She gasped, backing into a tree. Her heart was racing, she was unable to quell the panic and an overwhelming fear was taking hold. She was all alone and she couldn't…she couldn't do this-

"Rose?" The Doctor emerged from the edge of the clearing, brow furrowed with concern and arms already reaching out to pull her into an embrace. She stumbled into his arms, still breathless and heart still racing.

"I…" Her heart was racing as the Doctor searched her eyes, willing her to speak.

"What is it, Rose? Tell me?" He urged, fingers clutching her arms so hard she was sure he would leave bruises in the delicate skin. Looking at his familiar features she felt her heart slow.

"I just…I thought I heard someone whisper my name. Just shook me up a little." The Doctor looked around, searching for any sign of another presence. All he could hear was the wind whistling through the leaves.

"Strange…Maybe it was the wind?" Rose nodded, willing herself to believe it.

"Yeah, sorry. Just being stupid." The memory of it was fading fast, but the feeling lingered. That sense of hopelessness and dread. She couldn't remember ever feeling so lost. The Doctor chucked her on the chin.

"Five minutes away is a small village at the height of its Autumn Solstice. I promise you, Rose. The celebrations are like no other. So many colours and the music…Oh, you've never heard a melody like it. Would you like to join me?" He whispered, the images he painted with his words soothed her. She paused before giving a wide grin.

"Absolutely." He grasped her hand, pulling her along, his excitement infectious and breathtaking. As they left the clearing she didn't look back.

Upon arriving in the village Rose was struck by just how much it looked like something from a fairytale. A winding path led them to a cluster of small houses, no more than glorified huts. The wood was white, and the way they had been thrown together looked frail. But the Doctor was right, the colours were…oh, they were beautiful. Sheets of coloured silk had been strewn across the roof of every home; flags lined the streets in every colour you could imagine. Red, Green, Gold, Blue, Yellow…even colours Rose was quite sure she had never seen before. But no music.

"You promised me a melody to never forget." She nudged the Doctor's shoulder with hers, tongue caught between her teeth as she teased. He made a face and rubbed the back of his neck.

"I might have been a bit off with the days." Rose groaned, but he could tell she didn't really mind.

"How off?"

"Well…" He drew the word out, rolling his tongue around the syllables.

"Doctor?" She poked him in the side, noticing that there seemed to be no people in the streets.

"We're early. I can smell it. Two days early I'd imagine." He frowned.

"Sorry, Rose. I promised you a festival." She rolled her eyes and grasped his hand.

"Shut up. This is beautiful. And besides, that means we've got a day to explore before the festivities. Would you care to join me? She took his grin as a yes.

* * *

They had managed to find a small inn along a winding path that had room to spare in the small structure. It seemed that every person in the village was to stay inside as part of the preparation for the Autumn Solstice. Rose was almost startled to see that the innkeeper looked human. She had been anticipating an alien planet for so long that she forgot the human form was one of the most popular in the universe. It was only his eyes that gave the short stocky man away. They had a vague glow to them, the blue luminescent almost. He gave them the only room he had to offer which was small and rather cramped, but the Doctor and Rose had dealt with worse before. A small bed with a table beside it dominated the small rectangular room; a set of drawers that looked like it would fall apart at any moment stood beside a roughly cut window in the wall. But still, it was comfy and the single light from the tall candle in the corner made it look warm and inviting.

As an almost apology, the Innkeeper had sent his wife to their room with two mugs of hot cocoa. An Autumn tradition she gushed.

"Thank you." Rose smiled and closed the door with her elbow, balancing the two mugs of chocolate in her hands as she made her way over to the bed. The Doctor stood by the window, hands in pockets, gazing out into the night. The moonlight cast a long silhouette across the floor, bleeding over to reach Rose where she was standing.

"I've got cocoa." She grinned and he turned, humming delightedly as he took the cup from her. He took a long sip and sighed.

"I'm telling you, Rose, I've been to the furthest reaches of the galaxy but have never tasted hot chocolate this good." He greedily drank another gulp and she laughed. He could be a thousand years old for all she cared, but he was still a little boy at heart.

She set hers down on the nightstand with a quiet clunk, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"It's a little snug, isn't it?" She wrinkled her nose and for a moment the Doctor could not but help feel a little wounded.

"It's not that bad sharing a bed with me…Is it?" The puzzled look on his face gave way to a smile as she laughed one of those glorious laughs.

"No! I'm just saying you're about 7 foot tall, how on Earth are we going to cling on to this thing?" Looking at the almost miniscule bed frame he could see her point.

"Well…We'll have to hold on tight." He smiled softly. He saw the flush rise up into her cheeks and the hard swallow that followed. They both tried hard to ignore it. Instead she feigned nonchalance.

"Well, come on then." She patted what little space was left next to her, turning on her side to give him a little bit more room. Setting his mug down, he mirrored her position, lying next to her and gazing into her eyes.

"How'd you like the first trip?" He said softly, it almost seemed like he genuinely was desperate for her approval. She gave him a brilliant grin.

"It's perfect, Doctor. Thank you." He scoffed.

"Oh, don't thank me. Thank you." She stilled at that.

"For what?" He sniffed, the sound loud in the silent room.

"Well…you came back." Rose's fingers automatically sought his, relaxing only when their hands were intertwined.

"I had to. How could I live with you in another universe? I admit I've had some bad break ups in my time but I thought that was a little extreme." He laughed at that, marveling at the human girl before him. For a girl in her early twenties she had endured more than most people would have to deal with in a lifetime. And still she managed to keep that quiet glow, that confidence and spirit that reminded him every day what it was to be human.

"Yeah, I thought you were being a little dramatic." The words were teasing but seemed hollow. She had been back in the TARDIS for only a few days now, and still they had not broached the subject of her absence, not properly anyway. They skirted around the issue, desperate to simply slip back in their old routine.

"I missed you." She whispered finally. Her voice so small it broke the Doctor's hearts. He swallowed hard.

"I missed you too."

"It was so strange, Doctor. Waking up and remembering that you weren't there anymore. It was so hard." Her eyes were wide, almost glassy and blank as she remembered. The Doctor sidled closer to her, craving her warmth.

"I know, Rose. I…It was hard for me too. You saved me, Rose. You made me better. And as I went on travelling, went on seeing the universe…I lost so much mercy. I had so little patience with the world…I scared myself sometimes."

Rose grasped his hand a little harder.

"We all do things that we regret." He averted her gaze.

"I know. But the repercussions of my actions seem a little heavier than everyone elses." He lay on his back, gazing up at the ceiling, counting the seconds it took for her to speak.

"Doctor…" She shifted her body, so she half lay across him, arms folded on his chest and face above his. This was…different. He could feel the warmth of her through his shirt and it made his hearts pound. He wasn't surprised of course, it happened often before he lost her. A hug would last a little too long or her gaze would linger for a second more than it should, and then he would feel the familiar throb in his hearts and the heat in his face. That a human girl should have his effect on him should have been laughable. But it wasn't to him. It was…magnificent.

The blonde strands of her hair tickled his face as she searched his eyes.

"You are the most wonderful man I've ever met. And no matter what you do you will always be the man who I've seen save the universe a million times over. We all make mistakes." Somewhere during her words her hand had breezed across his face, coming to rest on his cheek.

"My mistakes-"

"No." she said firmly, and once again he saw the unrivalled belief in him that he had craved so much when he was gone.

"Rose Tyler…You are a marvel." She laughed, and the Doctor noticed that she had become so close he could count every laughter line on her face, point out every smudge of make up. She was beautiful.

It seemed that she had noticed their close proximity too. A blush was rising in her cheeks, making them glow a soft shade of pink. Her downy eyelashes brushed a pale cheek and the Doctor realized that she wasn't breathing. She was frozen in fact, mind racing, the pros and cons of what she was about to do spinning through her mind.

After an eternity, she made up her mind.

Keeping her gaze cast downwards, she moved closer to him, a small furrow appearing in her brow. The Doctor's thoughts raced as her delicate mouth got closer and closer.

This was a line he would never cross, he had promised himself that way back when he had cold blue eyes and shielded himself from the world in a beaten leather jacket. But hadn't things changed? Things were different, he was different. He had become so very very human, and wasn't this part of it? Giving in to what you want, never denying what you knew to be right.

She paused, her mouth centimeters from his own. Her eyes flickered upwards, pleading with him to let her know this was okay, that he wanted this too.

Before he could move a scream echoed through the trees outside their window.


End file.
